


It's okay, I miss her too

by MonsieurToast



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Absence, Event Fic, F/F, F/M, LoK Big Bang, One Shot, Post Book 3, Pre Book 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 04:26:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5483321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonsieurToast/pseuds/MonsieurToast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been 6 months since Korra left Republic City to finish her recovery in the Southern Water Tribe, and the remaining members of Team Avatar have been gradually drifting apart. As Bolin prepares to ship out for Kuvira’s army and Mako’s transfer date looms just around the corner, Asami requests that the three of them meet up together one last time before they go, for old times’ sake, hoping desperately to try and fill the void that Korra’s absence has left in hers and her friends’ lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's okay, I miss her too

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who? 
> 
> This is just a special little something I've been cooking up the last few months for the Legend of Korra Big Bang event and finally saw to fruition when I had some free time in November, a nice little character piece featuring everybody's favorite United Republic heroes. Consider this my contribution to the outpouring of art celebrating the series and the anniversary of its finale and all the promises of Korrasami to come.
> 
> The artwork accompanying this fic was created by the lovely Lalou over at http://l-a-l-o-u.tumblr.com/ - if you aren't familiar with her work already, I can highly recommend her stuff. Furthermore, the italicized description text are lines from a song which helped inspire this piece and help to set the stage for and transition from scene to scene, Steam Powered Giraffe's "Honeybee". 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

# It's okay, I miss her too

 

**_Your eyes still haunt me to this day..._ **

 

It was difficult, being here. Particularly on tonight, of all nights.

It was Friday night, date night for many young couples and the best night to hit the town for close-knit friend groups, a night of friends and fun and excitement, but for the woman sitting alone in the four-person booth, sipping through a straw some sort of smoothie she really wasn't in the mood for, she wished it had been any other night. She wished it had been emptier here, quieter. Instead, Shin's Bar & Restaurant was alive and bustling, the smiling faces of people she didn't know reminding her of those she did, of those she'd lost. Maybe not forever, but for now. Despite the crowd, she'd never felt so alone.

She'd paid extra to ensure that this table wouldn't be taken until her expected guests arrived, but she was beginning to wonder if they ever were. It'd been 6 months since Korra left for the South Pole to recover on her own, and things hadn't really been the same since then. Mako had been busy with police work and recently received transfer orders to help protect the last remaining heir to the Hou-Ting dynasty, due to ship out any day now. Bolin had decided to join the army, wanting to put his Earth and Lavabending to good use and “carry on Korra's legacy” by trying to help keep the peace his own way.

And as for Asami? Business couldn't have been better, or any busier. She'd been tasked with helping to further expand Republic City and bring it into the future, to keep it on top of the world and as _the_ place to be for anybody who wanted to be anybody, for anyone who wanted to see what modern life was really all about.

But this wasn't right. This wasn't what her life was supposed to be like. Board meetings and dwindling friends, heartache and hesitation, sitting alone in a booth in a mid-tier restaurant in casual dress and slightly disheveled hair. Not once Korra walked into her life. After Korra, things were supposed to be different. She was supposed to be living a life full of fun and adventure and saving the world alongside her three closest friends, she was supposed to be escaping deserts and stopping bandits and fighting to protect the city and all this other great stuff. She was supposed to be someone _more_.

And then Korra got hurt.

And then everything changed.

The remaining members of Team Avatar couldn't help but drift apart after that. All of them wanted to continue Korra's work in her stead while she got better – and they all knew she would get better, eventually; I mean, she had to, right? – and that meant doing different things in different places, using their respective talents and abilities to affect a change in the only ways they knew how. She just... wished they could've done that together, she guessed. It was bad enough having lost Korra. But now the rest of her friends, too? She didn't want to have to keep up with everybody through letters and well-wishes, she wanted to be there, with them. To reminisce and hope for the future, to wait for her to come back. Together.

This just... this wasn't what it was supposed to be like. But what things were supposed to be like ended when Zaheer poisoned Korra. When he traumatized her, crippled her, when he almost killed her. The damage he'd done to her, body _and_ mind... Asami had seen some of the worst of it, helping her through that first one or two weeks. It wasn't easy, seeing her like that. She couldn't begin to imagine what Korra herself must've been going through, what dark thoughts must've been filling her mind. She'd confided some of it to Asami in hopes of making them stop, of lessening the burden, of receiving some reassurance, but Asami knew there was more.

She knew there was only so much she could do. And that was just the icing on the cake. This incredible girl she was privileged enough to know needed her to help, and she couldn't do... anything. She couldn't help Korra, the girl that she...

“Asami!” The excited shout of Bolin tore the young CEO from her thoughts, her downward gaze lifted to stare upon the ever-chipper face of the young man she swore was part puppy with as easily excited and made happy he was. His frantic waving was hard to miss, and he appeared to be dressed about as casually as Asami was, a brown lion turtle-neck sweater and plain black pants and old brown shoes about the extent of his attire. He appeared to have arrived with his older brother in tow, the taller, leaner Firebender having apparently decided you couldn't beat the classics and simply showing up in his usual outfit, hands sunken into his pockets while his bright golden-brown eyes tried to avoid Asami's green. Were things still awkward for him, or did she just remind him of Korra? Either way was understandable, Asami supposed...

“Oh, hey, Bolin, Mako.” Asami greeted, looking up and brushing a lock of hair from her face, forcing a smile. “I'm really glad you two could make it. I know you haven't exactly had much free time, lately... though, neither have I really, I guess...” She thought aloud. Bolin's smile was indestructible as he took a seat from the booth straight across from the girl, his brother Mako taking a seat directly next to him. It really was nice being able to see them again.

“Yeah, but it's not like that's entirely a bad thing! It's not like we've been wasting all that time or anything, we're just doing what Korra would want us to do and watching over things in her stead for a little while, that's all.” Bolin explained. Asami's smile weakened slightly. It's not like she didn't know that, it was just... Korra getting hurt like she did hurt more than just Korra. She couldn't really explain it, exactly. But ever since then, there'd been a sense of fear and dread in the pit of her stomach like she hadn't felt since her mom died. She had a few theories on what she was feeling, confiding them in Mako for safekeeping, needing SOMEBODY to open up to, but it wasn't enough. She needed her friends more than ever now, but she barely got the chance to see them these days, and that just left her feeling more alone than she'd ever felt before.

She needed a change of topic, quick. Anything but Korra. She couldn't bare to talk about Korra. She didn't want to be that girl crying in public on a Friday night. She just didn't. “Yeah, I guess... hey, weren't you going to be bringing Opal with you, Bolin?” Asami asked. Yeah. Yeah, that'd work, for now. At the mention of Opal's name, Bolin winced, hissing a bit as if in pain, his eyes immediately darting away.

“Oh, uh, right... Opal... about that... she and I aren't exactly on what you would call “speaking terms”, right now? Turns out she REALLY doesn't like the fact that I decided to join Kuvira's army on account of her stabbing her mother in the back and taking off from her city with a group of Metalbenders.” ...Well, I mean, when he put it like that... Before Asami could say anything though, Bolin continued. “BUT I think she's actually trying to do some good in the world! I think it's a good idea, going with her. Sure there was some family drama, but that doesn't mean she's a bad person, right? And if it turns out she is, I'll be there, watching her like a hawk.” He explained, giving his best (but still really terrible) impersonation of hawk, complete with a crappy screech she couldn't help but laugh beneath her breath at while Mako sighed and hid his face, the rest of the restaurant briefly looking in their direction. Typical Bolin.

“Right... I've just been keeping busy with detective work while the department finishes approving my transfer papers. Not that I really WANT to be the bodyguard of some dumb, snooty rich kid, but this order comes from the President himself, apparently. Not much I can really do about it.” Mako huffed, crossing his arms and looking more than a little irritated at the prospect of leaving his city and his favorite job to date almost entirely against his will. “...Nnnnnot that there's anything wrong with being rich or anything, I just mean, from what I've heard, he's... yeah...” Mako quickly corrected, not wanting to give Asami the wrong impression. Again, the brothers caused a small laugh to escape her lips.

She took another sip of her smoothie. It wasn't like she would've thought he meant anything by that, Asami knew Mako better than that, but she figured that maybe it was his way of trying to cheer her up. He WAS a detective after all, and she wasn't exactly hiding the relatively bad time she was having right now. “That obvious, huh?” She asked. Mako smirked.

“I don't need a detective's badge to see you need a laugh.” Mako explained. Bolin raised an eyebrow. “...You just need to not be my brother.” He quipped, poking fun at Bolin's typical aura of mystification and confusion. He wasn't really the best at reading people, or a room.

“Hey!” He called. This time, Mako and Asami both laughed.

“Well, we _did_ date for a little while. Looks like you picked up a few things about me after all.” Asami explained away. Mako's smirk remained. Yeah, that must've been it.

“So, how've you been? Aside from tonight, anyway. You look like Hell.” Mako asked. Asami furrowed her brow, giving the man a playful glare and a pout in response.

“Wow, thanks.” She sarcastically replied. “But... I've been alright, I guess. Business is booming, and that can only be a good thing, right? Republic City wants my company to handle “bringing it into the future”, so I've been given a lot of contracts to sign and projects to complete as of late. It's honestly a little overwhelming.” She frowned. Mako shrugged.

“Well, I mean, if anybody could handle it, I imagine it'd be you.” He remarked. Bolin narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting from Mako to Asami.

“If you say so.” She smiled. It wasn't as weak as the one she'd forced on her face when the brothers arrived, at least. “Right now they want me to work on something that'll bring more notoriety to the city and help show our appreciation for the Avatar. I have no idea what to do, though.” She shrugged, shaking her head. Never mind the fact that Korra was the last thing she wanted to keep on her mind, right now... Mako shot her a concerned glance which she casually waived off. She'd be fine. Bolin, however, looked confused. Well, more confused than usual, anyway.

“Hey, wait a minute... you two aren't... you two aren't _dating_ again, are you?” He asked. Mako and Asami both froze at that question, looking as though they'd been struck with bolts of lightning.

“Oh HELL no,” Asami spat out before she even realized what she was saying. That probably sounded meaner than she intended.

“No, definitely not, we've been down that road before. ...Twice.” Mako grimaced. It... didn't go well, either time. They'd traveled down that road enough times to know it just wouldn't work out. Bolin remained suspicious.

“If you say so... but there's SOMETHING going on with you two. You seem unusually close. You know, even for, well, you two.” He shrugged, thanking the waiter as his own smoothie and accompanying meal was brought to him and his brother.

“We're just friends, Bolin.” Mako reassured. “It's nothing for you to over-analyze. You should be more focused on your relationship with Opal, anyway.” He suggested. Again, Bolin winced, this time looking as though a ton of bricks had just been dropped onto his back.

“Yeah... right...” He sighed. Asami couldn't help but smile, looking at those two. They hadn't seen each other all that much these last 6 months, but... they really hadn't changed, had they? She had to admit, it was a weight off her shoulders, seeing that. Unfortunately, it was just one weight of many. After that, the three of them fell quiet for a little while, Asami's somewhat more extravagant meal arriving shortly after Mako's and Bolin's, the three of them eating in silence and being caught up in their respective thoughts. Bolin thought about Kuvira's Army and ways to win Opal back, Mako was imagining nightmare scenarios involving just how awful this “Woo” kid supposedly was, and Asami...

Well, Asami's mind always found its way drifting back to Korra, these days. It wasn't even intentional, she'd just become such a big part of her life, especially lately. She'd realized something that maybe she hadn't before, or otherwise hadn't paid much attention to before, but now it was really nagging at her and just making this whole “Away and suffering alone in the South Pole” thing even worse. Which Asami knew was a lie, she knew Korra wasn't alone, she still had Katara and her family and Naga and the Southern Water Tribe, but... _Asami_ wasn't there. That was alone enough, in the young inventor's mind.

Mako picked up on this immediately, noting the distant gaze in Asami's eyes as she gazed at the restaurant at large to her right, staring at nothing in particular. “You need to stop thinking about her like that.” He said, breaking from his meal, almost causing Asami to jump. He'd noticed, huh?

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” She flimsily defended. Mako raised an eyebrow, giving her a “Really?” look that she couldn't help but cave into with a sigh. Bolin also raised an eyebrow, but in a much more confused tone.

“Her? Her who?” He asked. Neither Asami or his brother appeared to hear him.

“I know, I know,” Asami replied. “It's just... I keep remembering how she was before she left... I keep remembering...” Her mind flashed back to Zaheer, watching Korra struggle to fight him from afar. Watching him almost... “...It's hard. I'm worried about her. Really worried. And I don't know what to do.” She sighed. Mako looked concerned, and by this point, even Bolin had pieced together who she was talking about, just as concerned as his brother but visibly appearing twice as much with _his_ typically extreme facial expressions.

“Hey, come on now, it's Korra, she'll be fine! Maybe not at first, but... she will be. You've just gotta have faith!” Bolin suggested. Asami shrugged.

“Yeah, faith...” She trailed, looking down and to her right. Mako frowned.

“There's... nothing you CAN do.” Asami's eyes widened, her head immediately darting back up to meet Mako's concerned gaze, ready to snap at him on reflex when he continued. “Korra _chose_ to do this on her own, Asami. You can't beat yourself up about not going with her when she told you not to leave Republic City for her. It wasn't your choice to make.” Asami looked down at the table. Well, he wasn't wrong, but... “Besides, you're the one who helped make her feel strong enough that she could leave and do this on her own. You were with her every step of the way until she left.” Mako reminded. He had a point.

“Yeah, and it's not like Mako and I didn't want to help back then, she just said she'd rather it be you.” Bolin tacked on, taking a sip of his drink. Wait... she did? “Don't look so down. You did more than you think, Asami.” He smiled. The thing about Bolin smiles was that they were infectious. Once he flashed one, it was hard not to follow suit, and this was no exception. Wiping the tears forming in her eyes, Asami smiled. They were right.

“...Thanks, you two.” The brothers smiled.

“Besides, you're forgetting something important.” Mako began. Asami quirked her head to the left. Something important? “All the good times we had with Korra, too.” Asami paused, her eyes widening slightly. That's right... it wasn't _all_ about Zaheer and all those other times Korra got hurt, after all. They'd had more interactions than just that, over the years. She considered Korra her friend for more reasons than just be virtue of her being the Avatar. She was also a pretty fun and amazing person to be around, and Asami loved that about her. She loved a lot of things about Korra.

“Yeah... yeah, you're right.” Asami said, smiling, thinking back to one time in particular that stuck out in her mind. “Remember that time I tried to teach her how to drive at my estate?” Mako and Bolin both grimaced. Right, that...

 

_**You didn't have to smile at me...** _

 

“Are you sure about this, Asami?” Korra asked, staring at the pale blue helmet she held in her hands. This didn't feel safe.

“Of course I am. What could possibly go wrong?” Asami replied, causing Korra to wince. A lot of things, if she really thought about it. But, Asami seemed sure... “Don't worry about it, I'll be here to guide you every step of the way.” She smiled. Korra couldn't help but smile back in return.

“Do I even really need to know how to drive, though? I mean, Naga gets me around just fine...” Korra thought aloud, causing Asami to shake her head, hands on her hips.

“The city streets are no place for a polar bear dog, Korra. You can't just ride her around everywhere, especially if you need to get somewhere especially fast or have to bring a lot of people along with you.” Well, she had a point, she guessed. Naga was no sky bison, she really didn't like it when Korra tried to carry all of Team Avatar on her back with her. She couldn't blame her. “You're the Avatar, master of all four elements. You should be able to master my company's flagship invention.” Asami surmised. Korra laughed.

“Yeah, I guess you're right. How hard can it be, right?” She said, putting on her helmet and pulling the goggles down over her eyes, hopping into the Satomobile in the rather unfamiliar driver's side seat. Looking around at the dashboard, there were more levers and gizmos than she remembered. She guessed she'd never really paid much attention to it before, never really expecting to actually try and DRIVE one. Asami smirked at the look on Korra's face, climbing into the passenger side seat with her own helmet and goggles already on. She seemed to be reveling in the fact that she'd actually succeeded to intimidate the Avatar.

“It's not as complicated as it looks.” She assured. Korra wasn't buying it.

“You say that, but technically, you built it.” The Avatar groaned. Asami laughed.

“Here, let me show you,” The engineer insisted, leaning in and over Korra to show her what each lever, gauge and device did and what it meant, explaining it to her as best and simply as she could, the young woman from the Water Tribe giving it all an honest go, her expression one of sincere determination. Right now, she was focused entirely on Asami, her gaze affixed directly on her body, her deep blue eyes following her every movement while her mind followed her every explanation best it could. At first, Asami didn't notice, but when she did, she froze momentarily, her bright green eyes momentarily being caught on Korra's own, her body frozen, her heart rate increasing.

She wasn't sure how long she stared at her like that, it couldn't have been more than a second in reality, but to her, it felt like an eternity. She'd never thought about it before, but... Korra was actually... really... kind of... ...beautiful, in the right light. Which was to say, any light. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed ring true in her head. Had she unconsciously done this before? “Uh... this, uh... I...” She stumbled, shaking her head and snapping herself out of her bewildered trance. Right. Driving. She was teaching Korra... driving. Korra looked confused.

“Everything okay?” She asked. Asami shook her head.

“Yeah, no, yeah, everything's fine,” She quickly replied, an awkward laugh following shortly afterward. Clearing her throat, she returned to the matter at hand. “A-Anyway, as I was saying,” The rest of the explanation followed without incident, her eyes occasionally glancing back at Korra, who remained uncharacteristically silent and focused on what Asami was saying. It made the CEO smile. She really was trying, huh? “...So, think you got all that?” She asked, finishing her explanation of the basic parts and principles of driving a Satomobile. Korra nodded confidently.

“Yeah, I think I'm ready to give it a go.” She said, smiling with confidence. Asami's smile widened.

“Excellent. We're actually in one of the easiest to drive models right now, specifically made for new, novice drivers and the elderly,” Asami explained, buckling up as Korra did the same. “And this test course was made specifically for this sort of thing, so you should be good.” Korra smirked.

“The elderly, huh? You calling me old, Sato?” She quipped. Asami laughed.

“That's what you focus on in that sentence? Really?” She asked. “I'm older than you, you dork.” Korra shrugged, giving her a playfully distrusting look before finally setting her hands on the wheel, exhaling deeply.

“Alright... let's do this thing.” She said, starting the car and slowly easing it out of park and onto the test course, Asami coaching her on what to do all the while. She was a little reluctant to move at anything faster than 5mph at first, but as Asami continued to boost her confidence and show her what to do and Korra gradually grew accustomed to being in the driver's seat, she started going faster and faster, a little bit at a time. Before long, she was driving at 30 and was doing remarkably well, at least in her mind. According to Asami, she knew that Korra had it in her.

“Don't look so tense,” Asami remarked, Korra briefly glancing over in her direction. “You're doing fine.”

“Right, sorry, it's just a little overwhelming.” She commented, giving Asami a nervous laugh. For some reason, she didn't entirely buy that, but she didn't say anything. “I just can't believe I'm actually driving.” The young Sato smiled. She really was, wasn't she?

“Like I said, you're the Avatar. Driving should be easy enough compared to mastering Airbending, right?” Asami asked, Korra laughed, looking back over in Asami's direction.

“Well, listening to you talk and explain things is definitely a lot more pleasant than listening to one of Tenzin's lectures. I also don't have to try and “be the leaf” to turn a steering wheel.” The remark about Asami being pleasant to listen to (even if it was tied to a comparison with Tenzin – she was taking what she could get) made the girl blush a bit, Korra's bright blue eyes and warm, wide smile absolutely transfixing. Somehow, she just... couldn't... look away. That smile was....

...Then, Korra looked away, her expression instantly changing to one of shocked worry as she realized she'd gone completely off the course and picked up the pace tremendously, having no idea how fast she was going and too busy trying to not crash into the rapidly approaching wall to check. Asami's eyes immediately widened as she turned her head to see what Korra was seeing, a muffled “oops” escaping her lips as she remembered she was supposed to be helping keep Korra focused on the road, not on her, one of the walls of her mansion rapidly approaching.

“Oh crap!” Korra cried out, frantically turning the steering wheel and slamming on the brakes in an attempt to change direction before it was too late to no avail, the slippery grass and mud, still wet from the morning's rain, not providing enough traction to slow her down in time, the car spinning once or twice before smashing through the wall of Asami's home and into the area housing the indoor pool, front-first, the airbags deploying immediately to catch the two of them before they flew head-first into the windshield.

Despite a sore forehead and a bloody nose on Asami's side, the two of them appeared to be okay, the airbags deflating to reveal a shocked, confused and frozen in fear Mako and Bolin, Mako by the poolside previously eating an ice cream cone and his brother in the pool by a vaguely yellow patch of water, the two girls giving a nervous laugh and wave hello. “Uh... hi?”

 

***** *** *** *** *** *** *****

 

“Hey, we promised never to talk about that again!” Bolin groaned, blushing, the experience of that day rushing back to him. He was content with putting that one behind him for good, thank you very much. Mako and Asami laughed.

“That whole incident makes a lot more sense now in retrospect,” Mako commented, hinting at Asami's developing-at-the-time feelings for the Avatar. She immediately looked away and to her left, blushing even brighter than Bolin. “You just couldn't keep her eyes off her, huh?” He asked, a knowing grin on his face. Well, technically, she WAS supposed to be watching her and making sure she was doing everything properly, but admittedly, she did become a little... distracted, by her smile. Bolin, once again, looked confused, before quickly narrowing his eyes.

“...Hey, wait a minute...” He said, Asami's expression immediately changing from one of embarrassment to one of “Oh God no” shock. “You... and Korra...?” He asked. She could feel the cold sweat already, her hands tightly gripping onto her pant legs beneath the table. She refused to give an answer. Looking over at his brother, Mako also refused to comment. “You knew about this, didn't you!? That's why you two seemed so chummy earlier!!!” He deduced. She didn't actually expect him to figure it out. Was it really that obvious? “Gah, come on, Asami, you told Mako but not me? Since when has he ever been a valid source of relationship advice?” The Earthbender groaned.

“Hey!” Mako cried, insulted.

“Well, you did kind of kiss Korra behind my back. And then cheated on her with me. And then lied to her about getting into another relationship with me while she was away. AND your advice to Bolin with Eska really wasn't all that great...” Asami agreed, sheepishly at first, shrugging. “Sorry.” Mako huffed, crossing his arms and looking away.

“Yeah, exactly!” Bolin nodded.

“You're one to talk, Bolin, your girlfriend won't even talk to you right now.” Asami slyly tacked on, shutting the younger brother down almost immediately. Oh. Right. Mako immediately smirked, giving his younger brother a “Gotcha” grin. He muttered something beneath his breath neither one of the two could make out.

“A-Anyway, it uh... it's not like she and I are... well... we've never... she doesn't... um...” Asami stumbled to explain, trying to figure out how to best word it.

“She never said anything to Korra and is afraid it might just be her.” Mako casually explained with a shrug, taking a sip of his own drink while Asami shot him a death glare. She was getting there.

“Ohhhhhhhh...” Bolin acknowledged, thinking it over for a moment. Well, it DID make sense when he thought about it, the two of them did end up becoming pretty close after Harmonic Convergence, and it'd certainly explain why she only wanted to see Asami after Zaheer. In fact, that hinted that maybe it wasn't as one-sided as Asami feared, which she'd certainly considered, given the look on her face. Bolin smiled. “Don't worry about it, I get the feeling Korra might feel the same.” She raised an eyebrow. “She always spoke pretty highly of you. And knowing how you feel about her now, some of the looks she's given you ARE pretty suspect...” He thought aloud, rubbing his chin and narrowing his eyes. Looks? Korra gave her looks? Asami blushed a little bit harder. She... hadn't really noticed that. She was surprised Bolin had.

“Yeah, besides, Korra's always been one for trying new things. She IS pretty adventurous.” Mako grinned. Asami was beginning to feel like her jacket was going to have some competition in the “red” department. Particularly when she got up to break Mako's nose like she was really, _really_ wanting to right now. “Hey, come on, don't give me that look, I'm just saying, you might actually have a shot.” He shrugged, taking another bite of his meal.

“You really think so?” It was certainly a comforting thought...

“Yeah, of course. I don't know if you ever noticed, but that girl's always thinking of you. I always just chalked it up to you being her best friend, but she was always like “I have to show this to Asami”, or, “Wait until Asami hears this one”, or, “What will Asami think of this?” every single time she was with Bolin and me,” Mako explained, doing a very, very bad impression of Korra with every “quote”. “So, yeah, I think my brother might actually be right on this one. You might have a better chance with her than you think.” Asami could feel the relief pour over her like water, a shaky sigh escaping her lips as she tried to calm down. This wasn't exactly how she wanted them to find out. She'd have rather they never found out.

“Yeah, exactly. Like, remember that time she asked you to teach her how to Lightningbend?” Mako's eyes widened, the Firebender snapping his fingers and pointing at Bolin, nodding. Asami raised an eyebrow.

“What? Korra never mentioned that to me before...” Asami said, her mood dampening slightly.

“That's probably because... well, Mako tells the story better than I can.” Bolin corrected, looking over at Mako. Not that he was much of a storyteller generally speaking, but, when it came to things he'd actually been through...

“Right. Okay, well, basically, what happened was...”

 

_**Ignite my circuits and start a flame...** _

 

“You want me to teach you to WHAT?” Mako asked, the other officers in the department immediately looking in his and the Avatar's direction. It wasn't that uncommon to see her in here to speak with the chief, but it'd been a while since they'd seen her here specifically to speak with Mako. Last time she and he had had a little talk, she flipped a desk and stormed out in a huff, the two of them apparently having broken up. At least they didn't seem to be the only ones surprised.

“I want you to teach me to Lightningbend.” Korra repeated. “You've seemed a little distant lately, and I've missed hanging out with you and Bolin. It can be just the three of us, just like old times!” She said, suggesting the addition of Bolin in order to help break the tension. What was up with Mako lately, anyway? He seemed even more buried in his work than usual, and he barely seemed to even _want_ to talk to her or Asami anymore... it was starting to make her worry. Was it something they'd said?

“I-I don't know, I have a lot of work to do, Harmonic Convergence has left a lot of people on edge, and-” The detective's usual excuses weren't going to fly, this time.

“Makoooooo, come ooooonnnnn.” Korra begged, her bright blue baby polar bear dog eyes causing him to bite his lower lip in frustration. He really hated it when she broke those out, it was hard to say no to those eyes, in _or_ out of a relationship. Which she knew, of course, that's why she was using them. “Harmonic Convergence is exactly why I want to do this. The world's changed, Mako. The spirits are back and there's some sort of new energy in the air, I can feel it. I could never really “get” Lightningbending before, but I have a good feeling about it now.” She explained. “Man, imagine Asami's reaction if I actually learn how to do it, too! I might actually be able to help her out in the factory a little bit...” The Water Tribe girl tacked on, rubbing her chin as she continued to think aloud. Mako raised an eyebrow in response. Asami...? Well, whatever. He really didn't feel all that comfortable with it, but... well, he couldn't really say no to those damn eyes of hers. Sighing in defeat, he raised his hand, quietly asking for her to stop.

“Fine, fine, whatever, I'll try and teach you.” He said. Korra grinned wildly. “Just let me finish up this paperwork first, okay? In the meantime, you go grab Bolin and meet me outside the Pro Bending Arena. We're gonna need somewhere that isn't very populated where you can just direct the lightning harmlessly over the bay.” The Firebender explained. The Avatar was practically jumping with joy, immediately going to do just that.

Then, some 30 minutes later, the three convened on the decided meeting place, Mako still in his RCPD uniform and Bolin messing around with one of the Earthbending discs from inside the Arena. It'd been a while since he'd been here, he'd really missed this place.“Oh, hey, Mako!” Bolin excitedly greeted.

“Ready and reporting for duty, sir!” Korra spoke up, standing at attention and giving her ex a stern salute that he didn't seem to register at all, his hands still sunken in his pockets and a distant look in his eye that made it seem like he really didn't want to be there. Which he didn't, but still, it was rude to actually show that, and it quickly caused Korra to give an annoyed huff and a glare in his direction.

“Right, the Chief only gave me an hour off, so, we should get started as soon as possible.” He stated simply.

“Wow, what crawled its way up _your_ scarf and died, Mr. Sourpuss?” Korra asked, clearly unamused by his tone. Mako remained silent. Again, Korra didn't even seem to register to him. Bolin immediately began to panic, feeling as though he needed to intervene, and quick. He felt like, if he didn't, this might just end up devolving into another ex-lover's quarrel, just like the last couple of times Korra and Mako had tried hanging out together.

“Hey, hey, hey! Cut it out!” Bolin spoke up, grabbing both Mako's _and_ Korra's attention and looking his brother in the eye as he continued. “Look, I know you've been busy with police work and your cases can really get to you sometimes, and I know things have been pretty awkward for you with Korra and Asami both lately, but you're the one who agreed to do this and suggested we come all the way out here, the least you can do is not be a jerk about it and actually try and teach her something.” He suggested. Mako sighed. He had a point. He'd dragged himself all the way out here, so he might as well give it his all...

“Fine. I'm sorry. I've just been... under a lot of pressure.” Mako fibbed. It wasn't a total lie, but Korra seemed to buy it nonetheless, flashing him a triumphant “I told you so” sort of smirk.

“Apology accepted.” She replied. “Now, how are we gonna do this?” Mako thought for a moment. How were they going to do this? Lightningbending wasn't an easy thing to learn, let alone teach. He figured he might as well start with the basics and see what she knew about the art and if she understood how the whole thing was supposed to work.

“Right... well... you said you've tried learning to Lightningbend before, right?” He asked. Korra nodded. “Well, what do you know about it?”

“Well... I know it's pretty rare, and only really talented Firebenders are able to do it.” She began. Mako nodded. The number had gone up in recent years with the post-war industrial boom, but it was still a pretty rare ability. “I also know it has something to do with splitting your positive and negative chi and intentionally creating an imbalance inside of your body, which then comes out as an explosion of energy, ideally lightning. But I've never really been able to do that before.” Korra frowned. It wasn't as easy as it seemed, even for the Avatar. From what she knew, even among her past lives, there weren't too many Avatars who'd actually learned how to do it.

But, the principles of the whole thing were pretty close in execution to Energybending, which Aang had passed down to her before her connection to him was severed, so she thought that, maybe, now that she knew how to do that pretty well, it would be easier now, _especially_ after Harmonic Convergence, but... she hadn't really tried since she was at the White Lotus compound. She had no idea how well this was or wasn't going to go.

“Okay, good, so you understand the basics, then. There's... not much more to it than that, really. It's basically just an extension of what Firebending already is. Unlike any othr bending art, Firebending is a very personal and almost wholly internal process. It's all about taking your chi in its purest form and using it to _create_ your element with explosive force. We don't usually have the luxury of having our element all around us like Earth, Air and Waterbenders do. So, being as good as you are at Firebending, it stands to reasong that you should already be pretty good at weaponizing your chi.” The detective surmised. Korra nodded along.

“Yeah, but I've never been able to get as much as a spark with it before.” She explained. “I thought it would be easy, too, but... it always seemed more... spiritual, in a way? And you know how I am with spirit stuff.” Korra frowned.

“You turn into a giant woman and punch it in the face?” Bolin asked. The Avatar shot him a death glare. “Eep! Shutting up now...” He quickly apologized.

“Well, I wouldn't say it's spiritual per say, but it's not really something you can just brute force your way into.” Mako corrected. “Normal Firebending is pretty simple once you learn how to properly utilize your energy. Lightningbending is like reinventing the wheel. You have to unlearn and relearn everything about your chi and your body, you have to unmake it and split it into two violently opposing forces and direct the resulting power safely out of your body before it stops your heart and kills you. It's incredibly dangerous, and a lot of people have died simply attempting it. Are you _really_ sure you want to do this?” Korra gulped. She knew it was dangerous, but that was a bit more than she was expecting. Still... this was something she'd always wanted to do, and she'd actually managed to get Mako all the way out here. There was no backing out now. She nodded somewhat hesitantly in acceptance.

“Yeah. I am.” Mako sighed. Well, there was no turning back now.

“Alright then, let's start out with your form and directing your energy with your movements. It's very important you know your energy pathways inside and out and can direct the lightning out your fingertips without popping your arm like a balloon.” And, over the next 45 minutes, that was about the extent of what Korra and Mako did while Bolin mostly just watched and listened, playing with Pabu with the stolen Earthbending disc and occasionally intervening when things became too tense or awkward between the two exes. They repeated the movements and stances and went over the theory and idea of Lightningbending over and over and over again, making sure Korra understood it inside and out before Mako even suggested trying to conjure the stuff.

“...And keeping all that in mind, provided you did it right, it should turn out like this.” Mako concluded, casually conjuring electricity with his movements and unleashing it as a powerful bolt of brilliant blue lightning, dead ahead, thunder cracking in response to the superheated plasma violating the air and zapping over the ocean in Yue Bay. The look in Korra's eyes said it all. Lightningbending was _awesome_.

“Okay, okay, I think I'm ready to try, now!” She stated excitedly, Mako rushing to stop her, but before he could, it was too late, and in the heat of the moment, she rushed through all the basic movements he had taught to her and all of the prerequisite techniques, tried to split her chi, and...

...The next thing Korra knew, Mako and Bolin both were hovering over her and the back of her head felt like it'd been kicked by an angry ostrich horse. As her blurred vision gradually came into focus the taste of soot coated her mouth, it began to come back to her what she was doing out here, her attempt to Lightningbend having resulted in little more than an unexpectedly strong explosion aimed almost directly at her face. “...Did it work?” She asked, rubbing the back of her head, slumped up against the (now cracked) wall of the Pro Bending Arena. Mako let out a sigh of relief while Bolin shook his head.

“Well, if you were trying to discover a way to send yourself flying backwards at high velocity and put a dent in the Pro Bending Arena... yup! Worked like a charm! Otherwise...” Bolin explained, the look on his face saying it all.

“I _told_ you to hold on.” Mako complained. But... his tone was more teasing than it was angry, something which Korra couldn't help but smile at. Looked like all it took was for her to nearly kill herself in a botched Lightningbending attempt to get him to stop being so distant and awkward an un-Mako-ish. “You were too excited, you forgot to control your breathing. Your fingers sparked, but instead of lightning, all you got was an explosion.”

“...They sparked?” She said, her grin widening. “That's great, I almost had it then!” Though her voice sounded excited, her body was very much less so, the Avatar grunting as she feebly rose back to her feet, wobbling a little bit, Bolin catching and supporting her before she fell over again. That was a rougher collision than she'd have liked. “Come on, let's try it again!” She said, still eager to keep going despite the pain in her back and her head. Mako and Bolin both shot each other a brief glance as if to say “Is she crazy?” before looking back at the now burnt and disheveled Avatar, shaking their heads in unison.

“Yeah, no, not today,” Mako said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Right now, you should treat those burns and I should start heading back to the precinct. Our hour's almost up. We can pick this up again another day, this is too dangerous for you to practice on your own.” Korra frowned.

“Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad!” She complained, wincing immediately afterward and touching the back of her head. That still hurt, a lot. But, at least she wasn't bleeding! The two brothers just stared at her. “...Okay, okay, I see your point. Fine.” She sighed, defeated, agreeing not to practice anymore on her own. “But you better actually teach me again someday, I swear. No more of this awkward run around.” She demanded. Reluctantly, Mako agreed.

“Fine. I should have a little more free time sometime next week, we can try again then.” He suggsted. Korra smiled wide, nodding excitedly and then immediately regretting her decision as the entire back of her head ached. She should probably get that looked at before she headed home...

“Sounds good to me.” She agreed. “Just, uh... don't mention this to Asami, okay? I'd rather not have her asking any questions or anything. I'll just surprise her when I actually get it down and show off a bit, power her whole factory single-handedly.” She smirked. The nervous way she asked them not to tell Asami once again quirked an eyebrow from the detective, but once again he simply wrote it off, he and his brother nodding in agreement. As requested, they would keep their lips sealed. “Okay, good. Now, Bolin, while your brother goes out to save Republic City one donut at a time,”

“Hey!” Mako interjected. Korra let out an audible “Heh”, her grin briefly widening at her own taunt.

“How about you help me get to a hospital before I spontaneously lose consciousness or something? Prrrrrobably a good idea to get this looked at...” She admitted, narrowing her eyes as if trying to look at something she couldn't quite make out. “Everything still seems like it's spinning a little bit...” Once again, Mako sighed, dragging his hand down his face as his brother frantically tended to the overly dramatic Avatar making her way to the nearest doctor's office. Maybe trying to teach the Avatar how to Lightningbend wasn't all that great an idea, after all.

 

***** *** *** *** *** *** *****

 

“...So, yeah, it... didn't go very well.” Mako concluded, rubbing the back of his head. Asami looked as though some great mystery had just been solved for her, a very “Aha!” look on her face.

“So THAT'S what happened to her... she told me she got into a fight with some Triad goons, but it was actually a botched attempt at Lightningbending?” The CEO asked. Mako simply nodded in response.

“Looking back on it now and how she was acting about the whole thing, I think maybe she was trying to impress you.” Bolin suggested, taking another bite of his meal.

“That's what I was thinking, yeah. I don't know if she... well, likes you like _that_ or not, she never really confided that in me like you did if she does, but... she clearly likes you and cares about what you think of her. You're very important to her. Always have been.” The Firebender smiled, prompting Asami to do the same. All of this was definitely going a long way to boost her confidence in saying something to her when she came back, but none of it really changed the fact that she was already supposed to have done that by now. 6 months, and they hadn't received as much as a single letter back in return, any of them. No matter how much more confident Asami did or didn't become in her feelings, the fact still remained that Korra was gone, Asami missed her like crazy, and there was no way of knowing if she'd ever be the same again.

...But, Asami couldn't allow herself to think like that. Not for long, anyway. It was part of the reason her mind always ended up drifting back to how she felt about Korra and fantasies of the two of them together, in a relationship, the thought of it all still seeming so... unlikely to her. And it hurt, and it made her miserable, but she knew it was still a lesser hurt and a lesser misery than it'd be if she allowed herself to agonize over the other, very real elephant koi in the room. It was better she kept her mind occupied with this than thoughts of whether or not Korra would ever be able to walk on her own again.

“I just... I don't know.” Asami sighed. “Maybe you're right, but... come on... two girls...? I don't even know if Korra... you know... swings that way.” She nervously shrugged, trying not to think too much about the concept of it. She never did. It was too stressful and embarrassing and a myriad of other things – some good, some bad – that she really didn't have the will or energy to deal with right now. The struggle of figuring out whether or not Korra felt (or even COULD feel) the same was stressful enough without the added social implications and potential public relations battles the two of them would have to fight over the prospect of getting and being “together”, whatever that meant. I mean, granted, Korra was the Avatar, and if it happened, few people would have the balls to question her, but...

“Hey, it happens. Love who you wanna love.” Bolin stated whilst chewing his food, throwing his hands up in the air and dropping the L-bomb that Asami refused to even think about. Well, the other L-bomb. “Won't know until you try, right? But there's hope for you yet, so don't worry too much about it. You can deal with it when she gets back.” He smiled. She appreciated that at least one of them was remaining optimistic about the situation, but Bolin wasn't the one with feelings he still only barley understood for the freaking Avatar. Or, at least, not anymore. That ship was sunk a long, long time ago. But, still! She wondered if he really understood what it was she was going through right now.

“Have you thought about trying to write to her yet?” Mako asked, trying to change gears a little bit. Asami looked down again. It's not that she didn't want to, it was just...

“I... I never know what to say...” The inventor admitted. “Like... what am I supposed to say? “Hi Korra, it's me, Asami, you know, your really rich girl friend who's totally crushing on you and can barely go a minute without thinking about you and hopes you get better soon and come back home to her?” or “Hi Korra, it's Asami, everything's fine here, I'm fine, Mako and Bolin are fine, take your time and come back whenever!”? I'm normally a lot better at this sort of thing, but with her, my brain kind of just... stops working.” She nervously laughed, sighing and then slamming her head onto the table, shaking it back and forth. “Spirits, I'm hopeless. I've never been this way over somebody I lo-... somebody I'm crushing on, before.” She caught herself. Mako smirked.

“Wow, you've got it bad, huh?” He mused.

“Not. Helping.” Asami hissed, prompting Mako to immediately apologize.

“Sorry, sorry, it's just... it's kind of cute. A little weird to think that my two ex-girlfriends could end up becoming _each other's_ girlfriends, but cute. I'm definitely rooting for you.” The support was appreciated, but this wasn't a Pro Bending Match. She needed some advice on what to do with herself and how to deal with this, not some idle cheering from the sidelines. Surprisingly, it was something Bolin picked up on almost immediately.

“Whether she thinks of you that way or not, she already likes you, Asami. You're already her best friend, she's said as much to Mako and me in the past. Just act natural. Write to her the same way you've always talked to her. It's not as hard as you're making it seem like it is.” He shrugged. Mako and Asami both looked briefly at each other and then back at Bolin, a little confused by the solidity of his advice. Where'd _that_ come from? “...What? I've been in love in the past, too, you know! We're going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but I've still learned a lot from being with Opal. You'll be fine. Just be yourself.”

“Eh, you might have a point. Maybe I'm just overthinking this, I just... I...” Asami sighed, rubbing her temples. She just really wanted Korra to be okay and come back, that's all. Her feelings were one thing, but compared to what Korra was going through right now, they were insignificant. And that thought alone always brought her right back to where she started, sad and alone and worried and... lovesick. And then she'd just dwell on that in fear of considering anything else.

“It's okay. I miss her too.” Mako smiled, placing his hand on top of Asami's. Bolin joined in soon after, placing his hand on top of both of theirs.

“Yeah, we're all in this together. Once Team Avatar, always Team Avatar.” He confidently declared. Asami smiled, sniffing and wiping the still-forming tears from her eyes for the second time tonight. This really wasn't the kind of get-together she'd originally wanted it to be, but... she was glad she was having it.

“We might be heading our separate ways soon, but it won't be for forever, we can still keep in touch. The world's getting more connected every day, and when Korra finally does come back, I'm sure all of us will follow suit.” Mako assured her. She really hoped he was right about that.

“Yeah, everything will be okay in the end, we've just gotta keep focusing on all of the good times we've had together. Like... remember that time that huge snowstorm hit Republic City? Before we left for that festival in the South Pole? And Korra took us to one of the longest, hilliest roads in the city and froze it over for us so she could teach us how to “penguin sled without a penguin”?” Mako's and Asami's faces immediately lit up at the mention of the snowstorm. They'd completely forgotten about that... things had just been so bleak and busy lately, they hadn't really had much time to spend on thinking about all the fun they'd had together when they weren't out and about trying to save the world.

“That's right... that was a thing that happened, wasn't it?” Asami asked, a huge smile on her face. “How could I forget?”

“See? What'd I tell you! These are the sorts of things you _should_ be thinking about. Just keep thinking of her and remembering her fondly and it's like she never even left.” Admittedly... it was something Bolin had experience with. Mako and Asami could also relate, they supposed. Remembering all of the good times they'd had with their parents, before... “I still remember that day pretty clearly in my mind. She'd just finished helping the city deal with the effects of the storm, and she'd gathered us all up at the top of the Hope Street hill...”

 

_**I never thought I was crazy...** _

 

“Uh, Korra, are you SURE this is safe?” Bolin asked, his teeth chattering from both the coldness of the Wintry air and the fear of staring down the intimidatingly long, hilly road she'd gathered himself, Mako and Asami at the top of. He was currently seated on top of what appeared to be the lid of a nearby trashcan as a sort of makeshift sled, the sides of which he was holding onto for dear life (partly out of fear and partly because his fingers were almost frozen to the cold metal), while Korra stood confidently behind him with the widest grin on her face. Meanwhile, Asami looked concerned and Mako was presently dragging his hand down his face in agitation, muttering something about wondering how she'd dragged him into this.

“Wouldn't be any fun if it was, Bolin. Now, are you ready?” She asked, the mischievous look in her eye and the smile on her face doing nothing to assuage the Earthbender's fears. With a gulp, he briefly considered saying “yes”, before immediately backpedaling.

“Ye-er, actually, you know, on second thought, maybe this wasn't such a goOD IDEAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa.......” Of course, by that point, it was too late – Korra had already seen the brief glint of a “yes” in his eyes and heard the “Y” on his tongue and went for it, giving the Pro Bending Star a healthy push and sending him speeding down the icy hill and towards a snow bank she'd set up in order to safely catch and stop them at the bottom. She was just thankful that the people of Republic City were so unused to this much snow and ice that they'd rather stay indoors and keep the roads empty enough for her to set something like this up first place – were this any place in the South, she'd never have the opportunity to stage a scene like this in the middle of town. But now she didn't have to wait for the Festival to show them a bit of what life and fun was like for her down in the South Pole.

“You know, when you said “Hey, guys, let's go sledding”, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.” Mako groaned, briefly removing his hand from his head and gesturing it at Korra as he mentally went over all of the ways this could get them killed, or worse, in trouble with Beifong. “I thought you were going to go take us out to one of the mountains outside the city, that would've been bad enough, but this? This is just insane!” He shouted. Seriously, HOW did she convince him to come all the way out here? Those damn eyes of hers were a heck of a weapon...

“I know, isn't it great!? I can't believe how perfect this place is for this!” Aaaaand she'd completely misread his intentions, because _of course_ she did. Mako immediately smacked his palm back into his face with an audible “slap” as Asami cringed, stepping in to maybe enlighten her a bit.

“Um, I'm not sure that's the kind of “insane” Mako meant, Korra...” The newly minted CEO corrected, scratching the back of her head. “I'm not gonna lie, this DOES look like it could be a lot of fun, but are you really sure about this?” She could see where Mako was coming from, but she could see what Korra was getting at, too. It's not like the city was using this street right now, and if she needed to, being the Avatar and as talented a Waterbender as she was, she could clear it all right up in a couple seconds. But still, as she watched Bolin go literally screaming down one of the longest, steepest inclined roads in Republic City toward a distant snowbank some 3 blocks away, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little worried.

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that the Avatar _literally_ just pushed my brother off a hill?” Mako asked, a puff of white powder in the air above the snowbank Korra had created indicating he'd finally come to a stop. Hopefully still in one piece. Asami visibly winced at the sight while Korra couldn't help but let out a small laugh, mentally cheering the Earthbender for his “bravery”.

“Bah, he'll be fine.” Korra said, shrugging it off. Mako and Asami were less than convinced, drawing a disappointed sigh from the Avatar's lips. “Seriously, guys, it's fine, I've gone down cliff sides twice as steep as this on _actual_ penguins, and those guys are freaking slippery. I even tested this place myself after I set it up, before I went and got you all down here. Trust me, it's gonna be fun, this is nothing compared to how we do it in the Southern Water Tribe.” She explained. “Down there, we have to dodge stalagmites and angry arctic seals the whole way down.” ...The grin on her face was almost disturbing, as was the level of glee in which she said that. Was this really how kids spent their free time in the Southern Water Tribe?

“Yeah, except, we're not from the Southern Water Tribe, Korra, we're from here, the Earth Kingdom. Seriously, of all the stupid, dangerous, irresponsible...” Before Mako could finish his little rant, however, he found himself interrupted by yet another scream from his brother, this one not of fear, but excitement.

“WAHOOOOO!” He cried, the young sports star using his bending art to supercharge his leaps propel himself back up the hill as fast as possible, itching to make it back to his friends and singular family member.

“Great, you broke him.” Mako concluded, throwing up his arms and rolling his eyes. He looked _way_ too excited for somebody essentially forced off a hill and into the snow, Mako thought.

“THAT. WAS. AMAZING. I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVER SECOND GUESSED THIS – KORRA, YOU'RE A GENIUS.” Bolin declared. The Avatar smirked, flashing the Firebender a very “I told you so” look and patting his little brother on the back. At Mako's scoff and Korra's continued congratulations, with Bolin's seal of approval now stamped on the idea, Asami reflexively smiled, a bit more open to the idea now that it had bravely been proven to her it wouldn't just get them killed.

“Asami, you're a reasonable person, please, let's just get out of here before the Chief or somebody finds out about this. I just got a job at the department, I don't want to instantly end up losing it a week later for, like, destruction of public property or reckless endangerment or something.” Mako complained, turning to face Asami only to find the girl weighing her options between two lids plundered from nearby trashcans, apparently trying to decide which one would be better for maximum sledding potential. Again, the new officer's palm met his face.

“Oh, you've got to be... _really_? You too, Asami???” Mako asked. The girl offered no response, quietly making her decision on which lid to use keeping it clutched to her side and approaching Korra with an amused smirk on her face, wordlessly announcing that she wanted to go next. The elder brother sighed. He was surrounded. “Fine, whatever, you guys wanna get yourselves killed? Be my guest. You're all flippin' crazy, I'm sitting this one out.” He defiantly replied. Korra, however, wasn't having any of it.

“Oh, come on, Mako, don't be such a stick in the mud. It'll be fun!” She reassured. “And now that we know it works... what do you say the four of us have a little race? First one to the bottom wins and the losers have to all chip in and buy them dinner. Whatever they want.”

“Ooh, you're on!” Bolin eagerly accepted, never missing a beat. “Come on, Mako! Trust me, it's absolutely TERRIFYING at first, but after the first couple of seconds, it's actually really, really fun!” Wow, what a glowing review. Mako remained skeptical, but of course Asami just had to go and pile it on too.

“It really _does_ look fun, Mako. Come on, race with us! Who knows, maybe you'll even win~” Asami pleaded in a sing-songy tone, the continued mixed pleading of his two friends and his brother followed by a loud sigh from his direction indicating his defeat. They really weren't going to leave him alone about it, were they?

“Whatever. If I end up breaking a leg or something, though, you guys are covering the hospital expenses.” He finally agreed, pointing at the three cheering teenagers he called his friends and family. What were they, 12? Or was he just _really_ bad at having a good time? Either one was very possible, in all honesty, but right now that didn't matter. What mattered was they finally had the stickler convinced. Now it was time to have some _real_ fun. Grabbing some nearby lids of their own, Korra, Mako and Bolin prepared for the proposed race, setting down their would-be sleds at the top of the Hope St. hill. “I can't believe I actually let you guys talk me into this...” He graoned, clearly intimidated by the drop as he looked over at what awaited him. If he got hurt, he swore...

“Oh, stop being such a pansy and let's go!” Korra demanded. Another sigh from Mako indicated another reluctant acceptance and confirming nods from Asami and Bolin told her they were ready to go whenever, too, prompting Korra's face into her signature lopsided grin as she prepared to begin the race. “On your marks... get set... go!!!!!”

 

***** *** *** *** *** *** *****

 

“Spirits, I still can't believe you actually won that, Asami. Korra even tried to cheat with some sneaky Airbending toward the end there,” Bolin said between laughs, the group of three having broken out into a fit of it by the end of the tale. “Guess it wasn't enough to stop ol' “Slippery Sato” though, huh?” He asked, earning him a playful punch in the arm from across the table from Asami.

“I told you to never call me that again, _Baby Bo_.” Bolin immediately cringed at the mention of that one. Right, maybe it was best not to bring up the “professional sled racing codenames” they'd given each other again, after all. Though, admittedly, “Mad Mako” was a pretty fitting moniker for his older brother both then _and_ now.

“Spirits, I don't know what was more embarrassing, the ridiculous code names or the _one_ person who could've single-handedly payed for all of us at once being the one we all ended up having to pay for. And you just had to rub it in by making the place fancy, didn't you?” Mako inquired. Asami leaned back, her arms crossed and a confident grin on her face.

“Hey, you knew the rules. To the victor goes the spoils, right?” She teased. The brothers shook their heads.

“Honestly, I think Korra was banking on you losing. There was, like, a 3 in 4 chance you'd just end up completely footing the bill on whatever we chose to eat, and you were the only one who couldn't bend to potentially win in a pinch.” Asami's grin turned to a full-fledged smirk by this point, one she aimed proudly in Mako's direction. She knew that, but that was all the more reason for her to make them pay for underestimating her and also for assuming she'd just pay for all of them regardless. I mean, ultimately she did, anyway, since they couldn't really afford her chosen restaurant, but still. Valuable lessons were learned that day. “I _still_ don't know why I decided to give in and join you guys back then, but... I'm glad I did. It really was a lot of fun.” Mako reminisced. Asami and Bolin both smiled.

“Yeah... yeah, it was. Thank you, Bolin.” Asami said. The Earthbender cocked another eyebrow.

“For what?” He asked.

“For reminding me of that. You're right. I've been too focused on all of the bad stuff going on, and everybody leaving, and worrying about Korra's recovery, and freaking out about my feelings, and all of this other stuff that I just... I completely forgot why we were all friends in the first place. I forgot how much fun we used to have.” She laughed. This time, it was Bolin and Mako who smiled. “So... thank you. Both of you. Thank you for actually showing up, and sharing all these stories with me. I... I really needed this. A lot.” Though she initially didn't want to be that girl crying in public on a Friday night, in a case like this, she supposed she could let it slide. These were good tears. Happy tears. These were tears worth letting flow.

“Anytime.” Bolin replied, smiling warmly, an idea crossing his mind. “Group hug?” He asked.

“Yeah. Group hug.” Mako replied, the three friends awkwardly managing to eke out a hug from across the table, returning to their meals and continuing to speak for the remainder of the evening. Throughout the rest of their time in their booth at the restaurant, between bites of their food and seconds from the kitchen, the three continued to share stories about all the times they'd had with Korra and all the fun the four of them had had together, in the best of times _and_ the worst of times. It was something that girl could always be counted on doing. No matter how bad a situation got, she always somehow managed to find a way to lighten the mood and inspire others. And they all guessed that maybe that was why she was the Avatar. To her, it just came naturally.

 

_**Now you have to go** _

 

As the hours passed them by and last of the diners in the restaurant made their way out the front door and back into the ice cold embrace of the Wintry night air, Mako, Bolin and Asami found themselves at the tail end of another laughing fit, the eighth or ninth lengthy story of the night having just been concluded, along with, for the most part, their evening. It appeared as though Shin's was about ready to close for the night, their waiter having returned to their table to provide them with the check. A cursory glance at the clock on the wall, and Asami's suspicions were confirmed. Her last night out with her friends as Team Avatar, at least for a while, was over. But... it wasn't as bittersweet an ending as she was afraid it might be. In fact, it was actually rather nice, and just plain “sweet” all around.

Signing the bill that'd been presented to her, Asami covered the costs of the evening, like she usually did. Since their lesson after losing to Asami in the “First Annual Republic City Sledding Championship”, the rest of their “krew” always offered to split the bill when they had get-togethers like these, but she usually went and paid for it all herself, anyway, without them ever asking. Seeing as she was the multi-billionaire, she figured it was the least she could do.

The three remaining members of Team Avatar stood up from their booth since the first time they'd arrived, giving each other another, much more substantial group hug than the one from earlier in the evening, soaking in the moment while they could, before it was over. After this, it was back to business as usual, their everyday lives since Korra's departure, and the great unknown of a particularly uncertain future. While the Avatar took her time to heal, they would carry on her work in her stead, doing their best to make the world a better place in whatever way they could. That much was a promise. But that promise meant that the three of them would have to spend the next indeterminate amount of time apart, and that was something they could wait just a little bit longer to get to.

Breaking away from one another's embrace, the three of them said their last goodbyes, making their way to the door and heading outside, Asami taking in the fresh scent of the cold night air as Mako and Bolin discussed what they'd do tomorrow before the two of them had to split up. After a moment of silence, the young woman spoke up, suggesting they walk around a bit outside before heading their separate ways, floating the idea of walking home with them since their apartment was pretty close by. A few blocks down the road, if she remembered correctly. She didn't mind walking there with them and then back to her car.

As they slowly and intentionally made their way down the sidewalk, they were deathly silent, the wind constrained between buildings and distant rumbling of trains in the mountains echoed between them the only sound until Asami finally dared to speak back up. “So this is it, huh?” She asked. “I'm sad to see the night end, but... I am glad I got to spend it with you guys.” Asami smiled warmly. “Thank you, again. For everything. I'm glad to know I can still count on you two, even after all these months. I was afraid that maybe Korra was just our glue, and without her...”

“Nah, we're all better friends than that, I think.” Mako interrupted before she could finish her thought. Probably for the best. She was heading down one of those sadder roads, again. “But this group definitely isn't the same without her. I mean, what's Team Avatar without the Avatar, right?” Mako asked. Bolin simply smiled, speaking up almost immediately and responding,

“A group of really good friends with a whole bunch of really good stories.”

And on that much, they all could agree.

“So, when do you ship out, Bolin?” Asami asked.

“Ah, a couple days... I've gotta try and make up with Opal somehow before then, convince her I'm doing the right thing here. Arguing with her though is like trying to fight a boulder tumbling down a mountainside and both your arms and legs are broken and you don't have any bending.” He colorfully described, tugging at his collar. “Wish me luck.” He whimpered. Mako and Asami just laughed.

“That's what you get for dating a Beifong girl, bro. They're tough as nails.” Mako rubbed in, playfully pushing his brother's shoulder. “I should be shipping out to accompany his royal highness in a couple of days, myself. I really, really hope he's not as bad as all the tabloids make him out to be...” He groaned. He was really going to miss this city, _and_ being a detective. But, orders were orders. He swore he'd come back for it one day, once all of this had blown over and Wu finally ascended to the throne. Just a few years, right? A few years, and it would all be over...

“Ah... I'd say we should try and meet up again before then, but Future Industries is buried under a mountain of projects as it is, I was lucky to be able to take tonight off. I don't think I'm going to be able to have free time like this again for, like, a month, at least...” Asami sighed. Mako and Bolin frowned, but she continued before they could try and comfort her. She didn't really need it. “This is fine, though. It's as good a place as any to say goodbye.” She smiled. The brothers followed suit.

“So, what's next on your company's to-do list?” Mako asked. Asami thought for a moment. There was a lot of stuff the city wanted her to do, but first and foremost, they wanted something special related to Korra they could use to pay her tribute and help revitalize interest in the city. She just wasn't really sure what to do about that.

“Well... they want me to make some sort of a tribute to Korra,” She began. Mako and Bolin gave each other a quick look. What, like a statue? “Something that'll help bring more people into the city and get people talking about it again. There's a lot of things I can think of doing for Korra, but... I'm not really sure what to do on this one.” She sighed. Yeah, the brothers were pretty sure about that one – “a lot she could thing of doing”. As the three briefly fell silent again, Bolin thought to himself for a moment, rubbing his chin as he did and then raising his hand and making a series of “Ooh!”s like an excited monkey, indicating he had an idea.

“How about the park?” He asked. This time, it was Mako and Asami who shared the glance.

“The park?” Asami asked.

“Yeah, why not? It was the first place Korra went when she came to the city, and not that many people really go there anymore! So why not do something there, start bringing people back to it? You could make it the new place for people to hang out and take their families on a nice day out in Republic City!” That... was actually a pretty good idea, now that she thought about it. Huh. Bolin was on a roll tonight.

“The park, huh...” She mused, rubbing her chin contemplatively. Yeah... yeah, she might be able to do something with that. “You might actually be onto something, Bolin. I think I might have an idea or two what to do now. Thanks.” She smiled.

As the three continued to walk along the street, down to Mako and Bolin's shared apartment some 3 or 4 blocks away, a single snowflake gently drifted down from the sky, Mako rubbing his hands together and breathing a small puff of fire between them in order to help keep his body temperature high as more snowflakes began gently drifting down onto the city streets. When she was younger, Asami never really liked the stuff, she'd always found it cold and wet and muddy and annoying, and was thankful that Republic City never really got too much of the stuff, but now... well, now it reminded her of Korra, every single time, and that alone got her to fall in love with it.

It all got her thinking back to a particular song she'd heard on the radio the other day, a song that, in the comforting silence of the dark Winter's night, where only the sound of the distant train and falling snow could be heard, was all the more audible when she almost unconsciously started singing along to its tune, still entrenched in her head. “You didn't have to look my way, your eyes still haunt me to this day, but you did...” She began, not really registering she was singing it aloud. Mako smirked. What a fitting tune... and he knew it, too, as did his brother.

It seemed all three of them did a lot of listening to the radio these days. Maybe it was to keep up with the volatile times, maybe it was to be on the lookout for any news on Korra's return to Republic City, but either way, this song was just one more thing all three of them had in common, and one more way for them to celebrate their last night together for 2 and a half more years to come.

And so, as they slowly made their way down the amber-lit sidewalks of the city streets, the three of them sang along together, another memory being made and another story being written to tell. One that, personally, Asami couldn't wait to tell Korra on the day that she finally came home.


End file.
